


Hot For Teacher

by DashFlintceschi



Series: Prompt Table [2]
Category: You Me At Six
Genre: Dan's a lecturer, Josh is a first year student, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 09:00:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4131790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DashFlintceschi/pseuds/DashFlintceschi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Josh's first day at university. The first thing he learns is that he slept with the lecturer last night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot For Teacher

**Author's Note:**

> Again, inspired by a Tumblr post, not the same one, though. Number two on my prompt table, student/teacher.

Josh curses as he checks his watch and walks a little faster. The first day of uni, and he’s late already. It’s his own fault to be fair. Well, it’s mostly Max’s, for convincing him to check out the student union with him last night, but it’s still partly Josh’s fault. Just because Max made him go out, didn’t mean he had to drink so much, or take the random guy he’d met back to his dorm with him.

He just makes it, skidding into a seat and getting settled as the lecturer comes in. It isn’t until the lecturer speaks that Josh looks up with a sinking feeling in his stomach that has nothing to do with his hangover.

“Hello everyone, my name is Dan Flint, I’ll hopefully be teaching you at least something about the English language this year-” He’s cut off by Max strolling in, a Starbucks cup in each hand, the large sunglasses on his face doing nothing to hide how rough he’s obviously feeling.

Dan waves him to a seat with a sigh, and Max stumbles to the empty seat beside Josh, dumping one of the cups on Josh’s desk as he flumps down into his seat. Josh waits until Dan starts talking again, just giving them a general summary of what they’ll be covering during the first term, and Josh leans over and swats Max’s arm to get his attention.

“That’s the guy I shagged last night,” he hisses to him, and Max looks around, eyes wide beneath his sunglasses.

“What? Who, where?” He demands, a little louder than Josh would’ve liked, and Josh sighs.

“The lecturer, he’s the guy I took back to the dorm,” he hisses, freezing as Dan clears his throat.

“Problem, gentlemen?” He asks, his eyes widening in shock as Josh turns to face him and Dan gets his first good look at him. Dan could’ve sworn the guy was at least twenty seven when he’d met him last night, but looking at him now, hungover in the harsh morning light, he barely looks a day over seventeen.

“Nah, mate, his coffee’s cold, is all,” Max slurs, probably still half drunk, but Josh doesn’t care, only silently thanks Max endlessly for his quick thinking.

At the end of the lecture, Josh is wandering out with everyone else, one hand on Max’s shoulder to make sure he doesn’t fall and kill anyone, when Dan’s voice rings out.

“Josh? Can I see you for a moment?” He asks, and Josh tenses, letting go of Max’s shoulder and slipping out of the line of people waiting to squeeze out the door.

Dan leans against his desk, while Josh leans on one of the desks in the front row, and they wait until the room’s empty, the door swinging shut behind the last person.

“About last night… I need to know how old you are. I thought you were older last night, and I just need to know…” Dan trails off, and Josh smiles reassuringly.

“Old enough, mate, don’t worry about it,” he tells him, but Dan still frowns.

“I don’t just mean whether you’re over the age of consent. I bought you a lot of drinks last night, I need to make sure I wasn’t supplying alcohol to a minor,” he presses on, and Josh nods.

“It’s cool, I’m nineteen, you didn’t break any laws, chill out,” he tells him, but Dan seems to get more stressed.

“No, I will not ‘chill out’, I could lose my job over this, if you decide to file a sexual harassment complaint,” he insists, and Josh laughs.

“Well, if I remember rightly, I was the one who came on to you, so if either of us were to file a complaint, you’d have more grounds than I would,” he grins, and finally, Dan relaxes.

“So, everything’s fine, then? You’re totally legal, you’re not filing a complaint, or anything?” He checks, and Josh nods.

“Totally legal, definitely not complaining,” he confirms, and Dan sighs in relief.

“Alright. Oh, and next time you talk in one of my lectures, I’m kicking you out,” he tells him, and Josh laughs loudly, swinging his bag onto his shoulder, leaving with a careless wave.

Josh learns quickly that Dan is an absolute hardass. Sure enough, during the next lecture, he and Max end up arguing quietly about whether or not their going to the union that night, and as soon as Dan notices, he kicks them out of the lecture hall, telling them not to come back until they’re ready to shut the fuck up and show some respect.

Unlike most, though, he’s happy to go over something as many times as it takes for someone to get something. When Josh struggles with a concept they’re discussing, he’s hesitant to ask Dan for help. Every other hardass teacher he’s ever had has refused to help him, insisting he needs to figure it out on his own. After three days of listening to him complaining, Max loses his patience and, at the end of the lecture, drags Josh to Dan’s desk and throws him at it.

“He needs help,” is all he says, glaring Josh into submission and stalking away.

Once the room’s empty, Dan turns to Josh with expectant eyes.

“So, what’re you having trouble with?” He asks, but Josh shrugs and mumbles something intelligible, staring at his foot as it scuffs the floor. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me,” he pushes, and Josh sighs.

“I don’t really get that concept you were talking about the other day, the one about A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s fine, though, I’ll figure it out eventually,” he mumbles, and Dan sighs, then goes over and sits at one of the desks in the front row.

“Sit down, then, we’ll go over it as much as you need, until you get it,” he insists, Josh gaping at him in surprise as he slowly walks over and drops down into the seat next to Dan’s. “Why do you seem so shocked? I’m your lecturer, this is what I’m here for,” Dan asks, and Josh shrugs.

“You’re such a hardass,” he comments, and Dan laughs.

“Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I won’t help you,” he insists, and Josh laughs humourlessly.

“Try telling that to every other hardass teacher I’ve ever had,” he retorts, and Dan frowns.

“Well, then they were shit teachers. I’m not. So, what is it about it you’re struggling with?” He presses, and Josh nods, having learned a very important lesson.

Once they’re done going over it, and Josh finally gets it, Dan stands up.

“Right, I’ve got a couple of information sheets about the general concepts of Shakespeare that we’ll be covering, if you want them?” He offers, and Josh nods gratefully, getting up and leaning against Dan’s desk.

He doesn’t realise he’s in Dan’s way, though, until Dan leans over him to get them, getting what should be too close for comfort, but it isn’t. Josh can’t help himself with Dan this close, he grabs Dan by the jaw and kisses him. When Dan doesn’t respond, Josh comes to his senses and lets him go, stumbling away with his gut clenching in embarrassment.

“S-sorry, I… I don’t…” He stutters, rushing out with his head bowed.

Josh drinks far too much that night, desperate to drown his embarrassment, and skips Dan’s lecture the next day. He claims to Max that it’s because of his hangover, apparently not remembering telling him the gory details last night, so Max only shakes his head with a sigh, leaving Josh with Netflix and the embarrassment that refuses to go away.

When Max comes back from his lectures, Josh hasn’t moved at all since he left that morning. He decides he can’t deal with Josh being all maudlin like this, and just throws the polypocket in his hand at Josh, and leaves again. Josh looks up from his episode of Game of Thrones, wondering about the polypocket. It’s the information sheets Dan was going to give him yesterday, and a folded slip of paper. Josh is a little scared of what it might say, but figures it might be important, so he slides it out and unfolds it.

 _‘Don’t worry about yesterday, as far as I’m concerned, it didn’t happen. Dan.’_ It reads in a swirling script, and while it does wonders for easing the embarrassment eating at him, he finds that a dull ache in his chest replaces it, and he’s fighting tears. He’d known he found Dan attractive, obviously, but he didn’t think rejection from him would hurt this much.

The next morning, Max drags Josh out of the dorm, despite his complaints. Between Josh’s feet-dragging, and Max insisting they stop at Starbucks, they end up wandering into Dan’s lecture fifteen minutes late. He gives them an unimpressed look, but one glance at Josh’s two day scruff and the fact that he looks ill, and he keeps his mouth shut, waving them to their seats as he continues what he was saying.

Dan calls out to Josh at the end of the lecture again, wanting to make sure he’s alright, but Josh can’t face him yet, so he pretends he doesn’t hear him and rushes out of the hall, ignoring Max calling after him. He keeps this up for a week, ignoring Dan when he calls out to him at the end of each lecture, until finally, Dan gets fed up and goes to the administration office, not having to lie about being worried about Josh to get his dorm number from them.

When he knocks on the door, Max answers, wearing a leather jacket, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. When he sees Dan, he just nods approvingly and slips around him, heading off to god knows where, leaving the door open for him. Dan creeps in, looking around for Josh. When he sees him, he sighs in disappointment. He’s curled up in bed, laptop playing an episode of American Horror Story, and in the low light, he looks even worse than he does in the lecture hall. His skin is sallow, he’s been getting drunk every night and barely eating, he hasn’t shaved in almost a fortnight, and his eyes are rimmed red.

Josh hears his sigh, but doesn’t look up.

“I’m not fucking going out, Max. You said you didn’t want me to go unless I showered, and I can’t be arsed, so I’m not going, so fuck off,” he snaps, and Dan sighs again.

“I don’t know about a shower, but you should probably eat,” he comments, and Josh’s head shoots up. He sits up quickly, pausing Netflix as he does, pulling his blankets around himself like some kind of protective cocoon.

“W-what… How…” He stammers, and Dan sits down on Max’s bed, waiting patiently. Finally, Josh manages to get his brain working again. “How did you know where I live?” He asks first, and Dan shrugs.

“I was worried about you, so I got your dorm number from the admin office,” he tells him, and Josh sighs.

“How did you get in?” He continues, and Dan shrugs again.

“Max let me in on his way out,” he answers, and Josh flops back down, clearly not having enough energy for this. He hasn’t been sleeping much lately.

“Why are you here?” He finishes, and Dan sighs.

“Because I was worried about you, and you ignored me every time I tried to talk to you,” he tells him, and Josh scoffs.

“I’m fine, now go away,” he says shortly, but Dan’s already decided he’s not leaving until they’ve talked this out. He crosses the room, gently sets Josh’s laptop on the floor, and sits on the edge of Josh’s bed.

“You are not fine. You’re either ill, or you’re drinking way too much, and something’s clearly bothering you, and you’re obviously not talking to anyone about it. I’m not leaving until you do,” he insists, and Josh sits up angrily.

“Well, what am I supposed to say? That I’m fucking homesick, that I miss my mum, the coursework is too much, that the only thing that was keeping me going was the gorgeous, kind lecturer who was also the best sex I’ve ever had, but now he’s fucking rejected me, so that’s gone to shit, and I’m barely hanging onto my sanity by a thread, and at this point, I don’t care if I drink myself to death, because at least then, I won’t have to feel so fucking empty?!” By the time he’s done, he’s shouting, and gasping for breath, and Dan’s giving him this heartbroken look.

“I-I didn’t realise you felt that way. I thought it was just a spur of the moment thing, because we’d… That was the only reason I told you to forget it happened,” he tells him softly, and Josh sags, exhausted from his outburst.

“Well it wasn’t, and it fucking hurt, alright?” He sighs, lying back down as he fights to keep his eyes open. A few seconds later, Dan’s concerned face appears in his line of vision.

“Are you alright?” He asks gently, the backs of his fingers gently stroking Josh’s cheek.

“I haven’t really been sleeping. I’m so tired,” he whispers hoarsely, tugging gently on Dan’s sleeve. “Lie with me, please? Just for a little while?” He pleads, and Dan slips his shoes and jacket off, then settles down on the bed, gently tugging Josh to lie curled against his side with his head on his chest.

“I’ll stay as long as you want me to,” he whispers softly, but Josh is already asleep.

When Josh wakes up the next morning, the first things he notices are gentle fingers running through his hair, and a slow, soothing heartbeat beneath his ear.

“You stayed,” he whispers, and the fingers in his hair slow for a second, then start up their rhythm again.

“Of course I did, you asked me to,” Dan whispers back, and Josh smiles to himself.

“So, when you said last night, that you only rejected me because you thought I only kissed you as a spur of the moment thing. Did you mean it?” He asks softly, nervously, and Dan sighs.

“Yeah, I did. That night we had was… Amazing. And then, I had to leave before you woke up, and I forgot to leave my number, and I thought I’d never see you again. And then, there you were in my morning lecture. And you seemed so… Disinterested. I thought you’d only wanted me that night because you were drunk. But then you kissed me, and I thought it was just because I was there. If I’d known how much I’d hurt you, I never would have…” He trails off, and Josh sighs, snuggling into Dan’s side as much as possible.

“I just… The reason I seemed disinterested was because you were just so… Smart and mature, and just… Way too good for me. I thought you’d be embarrassed that you’d ended up in bed with an idiot like me,” he explains, and Dan laughs softly.

“Never. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to call you my boyfriend, either,” he hints, and Josh grins.

“Good, ‘cause you’re stuck with me now,” he tells him, but when Dan opens his mouth to reply, he’s interrupted by a groan from across the room.

“Fuckin’ hooray for you, now shut the fuck up,” Max whines, and they both laugh.

“Sorry, mate,” Josh whispers, wriggling to get comfy against Dan, and closing his eyes to go back to sleep with a contented sigh.

For the first time since he got here, Josh thinks he might just make it through uni with his sanity intact.


End file.
